System and method for identifying wireless communication assets

ABSTRACT

A system and method for identifying wireless communication assets is provided. Embodiments may include providing, on a graphical user interface (GUI), an interactive map in a first window of the GUI. Embodiments may also include defining, on the GUI, a user-defined search area on the interactive map. In some embodiments, the user-defined search area defined on the interactive map may define at least a portion of a geographic region. Embodiments may further include identifying, on the GUI, one or more wireless communication assets and a location of each of the one or more wireless communication assets within the user-defined search area on the interactive map. In some embodiments, each wireless communication asset may be capable of supporting at least one wireless communication device and the locations of each wireless communication asset on the interactive map may relate to a physical location of each wireless communication asset.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The subject application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/609,696, filed May 31, 2017, entitled “Systemand Method or Identifying Small Cell Locations” which claims the benefitof U.S. Patent Application No. 62/343,357, filed May 31, 2016, entitled“System and Method for Identifying Small Cell Locations” the entirecontent of which is herein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to techniques for identification ofwireless communication assets.

BACKGROUND

As the resources of the Internet become more necessary for personal,social, and commercial interests, the ability to access the Internet athigher speeds regardless of a user's location becomes increasinglyimportant. Access to the Internet is generally limited only by thedeployment of wireless network infrastructure such as cellular radioaccess nodes.

Typically, wireless network deployment requires the construction oflarger cellular radio access nodes called macrocells. However,macrocells may require the purchase or lease of significant real estateand identifying potential locations for macrocells may be difficult.With the availability of “small cells” such as microcells, picocells,femtocells, etc., the deployment of greater numbers of small cells mayincrease the deployment of wireless network infrastructure. However, itmay be difficult to identify suitable structures capable of supportingsmall cells (e.g., wireless communication assets) and/or theavailability of these wireless communication assets for small cells.

SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

In one implementation, a computer-implemented method for identifyingwireless communication assets is provided. The method may includeproviding, on a graphical user interface (GUI), an interactive map in afirst window of the GUI. The method may further include defining, on theGUI, a user-defined search area on the interactive map in the firstwindow of the GUI. In some embodiments, the user-defined search areadefined on the interactive map may define at least a portion of ageographic region. The method may also include identifying, on the GUI,one or more wireless communication assets and a location of each of theone or more wireless communication assets within the user-defined searcharea on the interactive map in the first window. In someimplementations, each of the one or more wireless communication assetsmay be capable of supporting at least one wireless communication deviceand the locations of each of the one or more wireless communicationassets on the interactive map may relate to a physical location of eachof the one or more wireless communication assets.

One or more of the following features may be included. In someimplementations, the method may include receiving, on the GUI, aselection of one of the one or more identified wireless communicationassets. The method may also include rendering, on the GUI, assetinformation associated with the selected wireless communication asset ina second window of the GUI. The method may further include rendering aninteractive ground-level display of the location of the selectedwireless communication asset in a portion of the second window. In someimplementations, the asset information associated with the selectedwireless communication asset may include wireless communication assetpricing. In some implementations, the wireless communication assetpricing may be based upon, at least in part, wireless communicationasset pricing associated with one or more other wireless communicationassets within a pre-defined distance from the selected wirelesscommunication asset. The method may also include sending a fiber opticdistance request signal to a fiber optic provider server. In someimplementations, the fiber optic distance request signal may include thelocation of the selected wireless communication asset. The method mayfurther include receiving, from the fiber optic provider server, a fiberoptic backhaul distance in response to the sent fiber optic distancerequest and displaying the fiber optic backhaul distance in the secondwindow of the GUI.

In some implementations, the method may also include rendering, on theGUI, a wireless communication asset demand layer on at least a portionof the interactive map in the first window. In some implementations, thewireless communication asset demand layer may display one or more levelsof demand for wireless communication assets in a geographic region basedupon, at least in part, one or more of the location of one or morewireless communication assets identified in one or more searches, theselections of the one or more identified wireless communication assetsfrom the one or more searches, and the wireless communication assetpricing associated with one or more other wireless communication assetswithin the pre-defined distance from each of the one or more identifiedwireless communication assets. In some implementations, the one or morelevels of demand may be represented by one or more colors on theinteractive map.

In another implementation, a system for identifying wirelesscommunication assets is provided. The system may include a computingdevice having at least one processor configured to provide, on agraphical user interface (GUI), an interactive map in a first window ofthe GUI. The at least one processor may be configured to define, on theGUI, a user-defined search area on the interactive map in the firstwindow of the GUI. In some implementations, the user-defined search areadefined on the interactive map include at least a portion of ageographic region. The at least one processor may be configured toidentify, on the GUI, one or more wireless communication assets and alocation of each of the one or more wireless communication assets withinthe user-defined search area on the interactive map in the first window.In some implementations, each of the one or more wireless communicationassets may be capable of supporting at least one wireless communicationdevice and the locations of each of the one or more wirelesscommunication assets on the interactive map may relate to a physicallocation of each of the one or more wireless communication assets.

One or more of the following features may be included. In someimplementations, the at least one processor may be further configured toreceive, on the GUI, a selection of one of the one or more identifiedwireless communication assets. The at least one processor may be furtherconfigured to render, on the GUI, asset information associated with theselected wireless communication asset in a second window of the GUI. Theat least one processor may also be configured to render, on the GUI, aninteractive ground-level display of the location of the selectedwireless communication asset in a portion of the second window. In someimplementations, the asset information associated with the selectedwireless communication asset may include wireless communication assetpricing. In some implementations, the wireless communication assetpricing may be based upon, at least in part, wireless communicationasset pricing associated with one or more other wireless communicationassets within a pre-defined distance from the selected wirelesscommunication asset. The at least one processor may be furtherconfigured to send a fiber optic distance request signal to a fiberoptic provider server, wherein the fiber optic distance request signalincludes the location of the selected wireless communication asset. Theat least one processor may also be configured to receive, from the fiberoptic provider server, a fiber optic backhaul distance in response tothe sent fiber optic distance request and display the fiber opticbackhaul distance in the second window of the GUI.

The at least one processor may be further configured to render, on theGUI, a wireless communication asset demand layer on at least a portionof the interactive map in the first window. In some implementations, thewireless communication asset demand layer may display one or more levelsof demand for wireless communication assets in a geographic region basedupon, at least in part, one or more of the location of one or morewireless communication assets identified in one or more searches, theselections of the one or more identified wireless communication assetsfrom the one or more searches, and/or the wireless communication assetpricing associated with one or more other wireless communication assetswithin the pre-defined distance from each of the one or more identifiedwireless communication assets. In some implementations, the one or morelevels of demand may be represented by one or more colors on theinteractive map.

In another implementation, a method for identifying wirelesscommunication assets is provided. The method may include receiving awireless communication asset request signal, the wireless communicationasset request signal including a user-defined search area defined on aninteractive map of a graphical user interface (GUI). In someembodiments, each of the one or more wireless communication assets maybe capable of supporting at least one wireless communication device. Themethod may also include identifying, from one or more databases, thelocations of one or more wireless communication assets within theuser-defined search area provided in the wireless communication assetrequest signal, wherein the user-defined search area relates to ageographic region and the locations of the one or more wirelesscommunication assets on the interactive map relate to a physicallocation of the one or more wireless communication assets. The methodmay further include providing the location of each of the one or morewireless communication assets identified within the user-defined searcharea for display at the GUI.

One or more of the following features may be included. In someimplementations, the method may also include receiving a selection ofone of the one or more identified wireless communication assets andsending asset information associated with the selected wirelesscommunication asset for display at the GUI. In some embodiments, theasset information may include wireless communication asset pricing. Themethod may further include identifying, from the one or more databases,wireless communication asset pricing associated with one or more otherwireless communication assets within a pre-defined distance from theselected wireless communication asset. The method may also includedetermining the wireless communication asset pricing for the selectedwireless communication asset based upon, at least in part, one or moreof the wireless communication asset pricing associated with the one ormore other wireless communication assets. The method may further includesending the wireless communication asset pricing for display at the GUI.

The method may also include receiving, at a fiber optic provider server,a fiber optic distance request signal, wherein the fiber optic distancerequest signal includes the location of the selected wirelesscommunication asset. The method may further include sending, from thefiber optic provider server, a fiber optic backhaul distance in responseto the received fiber optic distance request. The method may alsoinclude generating a wireless communication demand layer for displayingone or more levels of demand for wireless communication assets in ageographic region based upon, at least in part, one or more of thelocation of one or more wireless communication assets identified in oneor more searches, the selections of the one or more identified wirelesscommunication assets from the one or more searches, and the wirelesscommunication asset pricing associated with one or more other wirelesscommunication assets within the pre-defined distance from each of theone or more identified wireless communication assets. In someembodiments, the one or more levels may be represented by one or morecolors.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that arefurther described below in the detailed description. This summary is notintended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter,nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of theclaimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure and areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the present disclosure and together with the descriptionserve to explain the principles of embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram depicting aspects of the wirelesscommunication asset (WCA) identification process in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of WCA identificationprocess;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) depicting anembodiment of WCA identification process in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary wireless communication asset with one or morewireless communication devices deployed thereon in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of WCA identificationprocess wherein one or more qualified wireless communication assets maybe identified on the GUI and one or more non-qualified wirelesscommunication assets may be identified for qualifying in accordance withan embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) depicting anembodiment of WCA identification process in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of WCA identificationprocess wherein one or more non-qualified wireless communication assetsmay be qualified in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 8-9B are exemplary graphical user interfaces (GUIs) depictingembodiments of WCA identification process in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) depicting apropagation heat map generated in an embodiment of WCA identificationprocess in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) depicting awireless communication asset demand layer generated in an embodiment ofWCA identification process in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 12 is an exemplary project including two wireless communicationassets generated in an embodiment of WCA identification process inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as being limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a wireless communication asset (WCA)identification process 10 that may reside on and may be executed bycomputer 12, which may be connected to network 14 (e.g., the Internet ora local area network). Examples of computer 12 may include, but are notlimited to: a personal computer, a server computer, a series of servercomputers, a mini computer, and a mainframe computer. Computer 12 may bea web server (or a series of servers) running a network operatingsystem, examples of which may include but are not limited to: ANDROID™,iOS™, Microsoft® Windows® Server; Novell® NetWare®; or Red Hat® Linux®,for example. (Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks ofMicrosoft Corporation in the United States, other countries or both;Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell Corporation inthe United States, other countries or both; Red Hat is a registeredtrademark of Red Hat Corporation in the United States, other countriesor both; and Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in theUnited States, other countries or both.) Additionally/alternatively, WCAidentification process may reside on and be executed, in whole or inpart, by a client electronic device, such as a personal computer,notebook computer, personal digital assistant, or the like.

The instruction sets and subroutines of WCA identification process 10,which may include one or more software modules, and which may be storedon storage device 16 coupled to computer 12, may be executed by one ormore processors (not shown) and one or more memory modules (not shown)incorporated into computer 12. Storage device 16 may include but is notlimited to: a hard disk drive; a solid state drive, a tape drive; anoptical drive; a RAID array; a random access memory (RAM); and aread-only memory (ROM). Storage device 16 may include various types offiles and file types including but not limited, to hardware descriptionlanguage (“HDL”) files, etc.

Computer 12 may execute a web server application, examples of which mayinclude but are not limited to: Microsoft IIS, Novell Webserver™, orApache® Webserver, that allows for HTTP (e.g., HyperText TransferProtocol) access to computer 12 via network 14 (Webserver is a trademarkof Novell Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both;and Apache is a registered trademark of Apache Software Foundation inthe United States, other countries, or both). Network 14 may beconnected to one or more secondary networks (e.g., network 18), examplesof which may include but are not limited to: a local area network; awide area network; or an intranet, for example.

Computer 12 may execute a wireless communication asset identificationapplication (e.g., application 20). Application 20 may interact with oneor more client applications (e.g., client applications 22, 24, 26, 28).Application 20 may be referred to herein as a wireless communicationasset identification tool.

WCA identification process 10 may be a stand-alone application, or maybe an applet/application/script that may interact with and/or beexecuted within application 20. In addition/as an alternative to being aserver-side process, WCA identification process may be a client-sideprocess (not shown) that may reside on a client electronic device(described below) and may interact with an client application (e.g., oneor more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28). Further, WCAidentification process may be a hybrid server-side/client-side processthat may interact with application 20 and an client application (e.g.,one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28). As such, WCAidentification process may reside, in whole, or in part, on computer 12and/or one or more client electronic devices. In some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 and/or application 20 may be independent webapplications accessible via the Internet. In some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 and/or application 20 may be executableapplications within a web page or web site accessible via the Internet.

The instruction sets and subroutines of application 20, which may bestored on storage device 16 coupled to computer 12 may be executed byone or more processors (not shown) and one or more memory modules (notshown) incorporated into computer 12.

The instruction sets and subroutines of client applications 22, 24, 26,28, which may be stored on storage devices 30, 32, 34, 36 (respectively)coupled to client electronic devices 38, 40, 42, 44 (respectively), maybe executed by one or more processors (not shown) and one or more memorymodules (not shown) incorporated into client electronic devices 38, 40,42, 44 (respectively). Storage devices 30, 32, 34, 36 may include butare not limited to: hard disk drives; solid state drives, tape drives;optical drives; RAID arrays; random access memories (RAM); read-onlymemories (ROM), compact flash (CF) storage devices, secure digital (SD)storage devices, and a memory stick storage devices. Examples of clientelectronic devices 38, 40, 42, 44 may include, but are not limited to,personal computer 38, laptop computer 40, mobile computing device 42(such as a smart phone, netbook, or the like), notebook computer 44, forexample. Using client applications 22, 24, 26, 28, users 46, 48, 50, 52may access application 20 and may allow users to e.g., utilize WCAidentification process 10.

Users 46, 48, 50, 52 may access application 20 directly through thedevice on which the client application (e.g., client applications 22,24, 26, 28) is executed, namely client electronic devices 38, 40, 42,44, for example. Users 46, 48, 50, 52 may access application 20 directlythrough network 14 or through secondary network 18. Further, computer 12(e.g., the computer that executes application 20) may be connected tonetwork 14 through secondary network 18, as illustrated with phantomlink line 54.

The various client electronic devices may be directly or indirectlycoupled to network 14 (or network 18). For example, personal computer 38is shown directly coupled to network 14 via a hardwired networkconnection. Further, notebook computer 44 is shown directly coupled tonetwork 18 via a hardwired network connection. Laptop computer 40 isshown wirelessly coupled to network 14 via wireless communicationchannel 66 established between laptop computer 40 and wireless accesspoint (e.g., WAP) 68, which is shown directly coupled to network 14. WAP68 may be, for example, an IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, Wi-Fi, and/orBluetooth device that is capable of establishing wireless communicationchannel 66 between laptop computer 40 and WAP 68. Mobile computingdevice 42 is shown wirelessly coupled to network 14 via wirelesscommunication channel 70 established between mobile computing device 42and cellular network/bridge 72, which is shown directly coupled tonetwork 14.

As is known in the art, all of the IEEE 802.11x specifications may useEthernet protocol and carrier sense multiple access with collisionavoidance (e.g., CSMA/CA) for path sharing. The various 802.11xspecifications may use phase-shift keying (e.g., PSK) modulation orcomplementary code keying (e.g., CCK) modulation, for example. As isknown in the art, Bluetooth is a telecommunications industryspecification that allows e.g., mobile phones, computers, and personaldigital assistants to be interconnected using a short-range wirelessconnection.

Client electronic devices 38, 40, 42, 44 may each execute an operatingsystem, examples of which may include but are not limited to MicrosoftWindows, Microsoft Windows CE®, Red Hat Linux, or other suitableoperating system. (Windows CE is a registered trademark of MicrosoftCorporation in the United States, other countries, or both.).

Referring to FIGS. 1-12, various embodiments consistent with wirelesscommunication asset (WCA) identification process are provided. As shownin FIG. 2, embodiments of WCA identification process 10 may includeproviding (202), on a graphical user interface (GUI), an interactive mapin a first window of the GUI. Embodiments may further include defining(204), on the GUI, a user-defined search area on the interactive map inthe first window of the GUI. In some embodiments, the user-definedsearch area defined on the interactive map may define at least a portionof a geographic region. Embodiments may also include identifying (206),on the GUI, one or more wireless communication assets and a location ofeach of the one or more wireless communication assets within theuser-defined search area on the interactive map in the first window. Insome implementations, each of the one or more wireless communicationassets may be capable of supporting at least one wireless communicationdevice and the locations of each of the one or more wirelesscommunication assets on the interactive map may relate to a physicallocation of each of the one or more wireless communication assets. Theseembodiments, and others, are discussed in further detail below.

Referring also to FIG. 3 and in some embodiments, WCA identificationprocess 10 may provide 202, on a graphical user interface (GUI) 300, aninteractive map 308 in a first window 310 of GUI 300. In someembodiments, WCA identification process 10 may receive a search queryvia search box 312. In one example, a user may input a geographic regionsuch as a specific address, a town, a city, a county, a state, acountry, etc. and WCA identification process 10 may display thegeographic region specified in the search query on interactive map 308in first window 310 of GUI 300. In some embodiments, WCA identificationprocess 10 may interface with one or more geographical databases indisplaying the interactive map. In this way, WCA identification process10 may generally identify a geographic region from which to identifywireless communication assets. As will be described in greater detailbelow, WCA identification process 10 may identify one or more wirelesscommunication assets on a graphical user interface. In some embodiments,the location of the one or more wireless communication assets may bedisplayed on the interactive map. Additionally and/or alternatively, animage of the wireless communication asset may be displayed on the GUI.

As will be discussed in greater detail below, WCA identification process10 may identify one or more wireless communication assets and provideinformation regarding wireless communication assets. For example, insome implementations, a user may include an engineer of a wirelessoperator. A wireless operator, as used herein, may include, but is notlimited to, any company, business, or organization associated with thedeployment of wireless communication services. In this example, anengineer of a wireless operator may be tasked with deploying wirelesscommunication services in a certain area. In some embodiments, deployingwireless communication services may involve the purchase and/or lease oflarge properties upon which a macrocell or other large wirelesscommunication asset capable of supporting a wireless communicationdevice may be built. With improvements in wireless communicationtechnology, wireless communication services may be provided fromincreasingly smaller wireless communication devices. For example, smallcells, microcells, IoT nodes, 5G cellular radio access nodes, picocells,femtocells, and other cellular access nodes may be utilized. In someembodiments, instead of constructing new wireless communication assets,wireless operators may be able to identify existing wirelesscommunication assets upon which wireless communication devices may bedeployed.

As will be discussed in greater detail below, embodiments of WCAidentification process 10 may allow property owners of wirelesscommunication assets to identify and qualify wireless communicationasset(s). For example, in some implementations, a user of WCAidentification process 10 may include a property owner. In someimplementations, WCA identification process 10 may identify and qualifyone or more wireless communication assets for identification by wirelessoperators. As will described in more detail below, WCA identificationprocess 10 may be able to determine and/or provide asset informationrelated to the wireless communication assets. Additionally and/oralternatively, WCA identification process 10 may provide asset demandinformation and/or potential asset pricing information via a demandlayer rendered on a GUI. While examples of users as property ownersand/or wireless operators have been described, these examples should notbe construed as limitations on the users that may access WCAidentification process 10.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may define 204, onthe GUI, a user-defined search area 314 on the interactive map 308 inthe first window 310 of the GUI 300. In some embodiments, theuser-defined search area 310 defined on the interactive map may defineat least a portion of a geographic region. In some embodiments, theuser-defined search area 312 may be “drawn” on the GUI by using apointer or cursor or touchscreen functionality. For example,user-defined search area 314 may be drawn by a user on GUI 300. In someembodiments, user-defined search 314 may include any closed shape.Additionally and/or alternatively, the user-defined search area may bedefined by first receiving a center point and a radius from which theuser-defined search area will be defined. In some embodiments, theuser-defined search area 314 may be a pre-defined search area. Examplesof pre-defined search areas may include but are not limited togeographic regions such as towns, cities, states, counties, countries,etc. and/or pre-defined shapes of configurable sizes. For example,user-defined search area 314 may be one of many shapes (e.g., circle,triangle, rectangle, square, etc.) selected from a menu (not shown). Thesize of the user-defined search area may be received by a user and/ormay include a default size defined within WCA identification process 10.

In some embodiments in which a user provides a search query into searchbox 312, WCA identification process 10 may further define a user-definedsearch area 314 within the geographic region specified in the searchquery in any manner described above (e.g., “drawing” a polygon or otherclosed shape on interactive map 308, defining a pre-defined search areaand/or pre-defined search area shape, etc.).

Referring also to FIG. 4, WCA identification process 10 may identify206, on the GUI, one or more wireless communication assets 416 and/or alocation 318 of each of the one or more wireless communication assetswithin the user-defined search area 314 on the interactive map 308 inthe first window 310. In some embodiments, the locations of each of theone or more wireless communication assets 416 on the interactive map 308may relate to a real-world or physical location 318 of each of the oneor more wireless communication assets 416. For example, assume that WCAidentification process 10 receives a search query in search box 312 for“Hartford, Conn.”. In some embodiments and as will be described ingreater detail below, WCA identification process may identify one ormore wireless communication assets within the geographic region of“Hartford, Conn.” Additionally and/or alternatively, WCA identificationprocess 10 may define user-defined search area 314. As will be discussedin greater detail below, WCA identification process 10 may identifywireless communication asset 416 and/or a location 318 of wirelesscommunication asset within the user-defined search area 314 on theinteractive map 308 in the first window 310. As will be discussed ingreater detail below, WCA identification process 10 may keep track of orotherwise monitor the user-defined search areas defined by WCAidentification process 10.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may identify on theGUI the one or more wireless communication assets and/or location ofeach of the one or more wireless communication assets within theuser-defined search area 314 on the interactive map 308 in the firstwindow 310 in one or more clusters 320. In one example, WCAidentification process 10 may cluster or group one or more identifiedwireless communication assets in a cluster based upon, at least in part,the scale of interactive map 308. In some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 may cluster one or more identified wirelesscommunication assets in a cluster 320 at pre-defined scales ofinteractive map 308. In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10may cluster one or more identified wireless communication assets basedupon, at least in part, the role or type of user of WCA identificationprocess 10. For example, WCA identification process 10 may includeprivacy options that prevent general users from accessing content orinformation regarding a wireless communication asset. In one example andas will be discussed in greater detail below, WCA identification process10 may restrict access to individual wireless communication assets towireless operators. In this example, other user roles or type of usermay see clusters 320 of at least two wireless communication assets andmay not be able to access the specific information associated with eachwireless communication asset. In some embodiments, each cluster 320 maybe displayed on interactive map 308 with a number (not shown)representative of the number of wireless communication assets specifiedby the cluster. While a specific number may be shown, other graphical orsymbolic indicators of the number of wireless communication assets arewithin the scope of the present disclosure, such as colors, symbols,letters, etc. As will be discussed in greater detail below, WCAidentification process 10 may allow property owners to identify how manyother wireless communication assets are nearby without revealing otherasset information such as a wireless communication asset pricinginformation.

In some implementations, each of the one or more wireless communicationassets 416 may be capable of supporting at least one wirelesscommunication device 422. Examples of wireless communication device 422may include, but are not limited to, 4G cellular radio access nodes,macrocells, small cells, microcells, IoT nodes, 5G cellular radio accessnodes, picocells, femtocells, and other cellular base stations orwireless communication nodes. In the example of FIG. 4, wirelesscommunication asset 416 may be a structure (e.g., vertical structure416/mill chimney) capable of supporting one or more wirelesscommunication devices 422.

Referring also to FIG. 5 and in some embodiments, identifying the one ormore communication assets may include identifying one or more qualifiedwireless communication assets and/or the locations of one or morequalified wireless communication assets within the user-defined searcharea. A qualified wireless communication asset as used herein mayinclude, but is not limited to, a wireless communication asset that hasbeen verified and listed for rent and/or sale. In some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 may identify qualified wireless communicationassets available for rent or for sale for deploying wirelesscommunication infrastructure in any given area. As will be discussed ingreater detail below, WCA identification process 10 may identify the oneor more wireless communication assets for wireless operators.Additionally and/or alternatively, embodiments of WCA identificationprocess 10 may allow property owners of wireless communication assets toidentify their wireless communication asset(s) and/or the locations oftheir wireless communication asset(s) and qualify them for wirelessoperators to identify. As will be discussed in greater detail below,information related to qualified wireless communication assets may bestored in one or more databases accessible to WCA identification process10.

Returning to the example of FIG. 4, suppose that the property owner ofwireless communication asset 416 is interested in renting or leasing outuse and/or access to wireless communication asset 416 to a wirelessoperator. To qualify wireless communication asset 416, the propertyowner may verify ownership of wireless communication asset 416 byproviding tax records, corporate documents, purchase and saleagreements, and/or any other legal documentation relevant to verifyingproperty ownership to WCA identification process 10. As will bediscussed in greater detail below, WCA identification process 10 mayverify the ownership of wireless communication assets by performinganalytics and/or querying one or more databases. In some embodiments, afee may be collected to offset a cost associated with verifyingownership of the wireless communication asset.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may determine 526whether there are a pre-defined minimum number of qualified wirelesscommunication assets identified in the user-defined search area. In someembodiments, WCA identification process 10 may be unable to return apredefined minimum number of qualified wireless communication assetswithin the user-defined search area. The predefined minimum number ofqualified wireless communication assets may be defined by a user and/ormay be predefined by WCA identification process 10. In some embodimentswhen WCA identification process 10 is able to return at least thepre-defined minimum number of qualified wireless communication assetswithin the user-defined search area, WCA identification process 10 mayidentify 528 the one or more qualified wireless communication assets andthe locations of the one or more qualified wireless communication assetson the GUI.

In some embodiments when WCA identification process 10 is unable toreturn the pre-defined minimum number of qualified wirelesscommunication assets within the user-defined search area, WCAidentification process 10 may identify 530 one or more non-qualifiedwireless communication assets within the user-defined search area.Returning to the example of FIG. 4, suppose WCA identification process10 returned only one qualified wireless communication asset 416. In thisexample, suppose the predefined minimum number of qualified wirelesscommunication assets is five. WCA identification process 10 may generatea list of one or more viable wireless communication assets and/orlocations of one or more wireless communication assets within theuser-defined search area. In some embodiments, WCA identificationprocess 10 may query one or more databases to identify viablenon-qualified wireless communication assets. In one example, WCAidentification process may query one or more databases available aspublic record which may be specific to commercial buildings, NICS codes,etc. to identify viable non-qualified wireless communication assets. Inanother example, and as will be discussed in greater detail below, WCAidentification process 10 may receive one or more filtering options(e.g., wireless communication asset height, distance to fiber, etc.) andWCA identification process may query the one or more databases toidentify viable non-qualified wireless communication assets within theuser-defined search area that meet the requirements of the one or morefiltering options.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may query 532 one ormore databases to identify a property owner for each of the one or morenon-qualified wireless communication assets. WCA identification process10 may generate and deliver 534 one or more automated solicitations tothe identified property owners of the one or more viable, non-qualifiedwireless communication assets to invite the property owners to qualify(e.g., verify and list) the one or more viable communication assets.Example automated solicitations may include but are not limited to,email, “snail” mail, telephone calls, contract telesales, etc.

Referring also to the examples of FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, suppose a propertyowner receives an automated solicitation inviting the property owner toqualify an identified non-qualified wireless communication assets. Insome embodiments, the automated solicitation may provide the propertyowner with access information including how to access WCA identificationprocess 10 to qualify their wireless communication asset(s).Additionally and/or alternatively, a property owner may utilize WCAidentification process 10 to qualify their wireless communication assetwith or without receiving an automated solicitation. Upon accessing WCAidentification process 10, a property owner may be directed to provide asearch query via search box 312. In one example, a user may input ageographic region such as a specific street address, a town, a city, acounty, a state, a country, etc. associated with a non-qualifiedwireless communication asset and WCA identification process 10 mayreceive 736 the search query and display 738 the geographic regionspecified in the search query on interactive map 608 in first window 610of GUI 600. In this way, WCA identification process 10 may identify ageographic region from which to identify a non-qualified wirelesscommunication asset.

For example, assume that WCA identification process 10 receives a searchquery in search box 312 for “Ashburn, Virginia”. Additionally and/oralternatively, a search query may be received for a specific addresswithin “Ashburn, Virginia”. Upon providing and/or displaying thegeographic region associated with the search query, WCA identificationprocess 10 may receive a selection 740 of the location 618 of thewireless communication asset 616 on the interactive map 608.Additionally and/or alternatively, WCA identification process 10 mayreceive a street address associated with a wireless communication assetand provide and/or display the street address in interactive map 608 infirst window 610 of GUI 600. From the selection of location 618, WCAidentification process 10 may generate 742 the latitude and longitudecoordinates for non-qualified wireless communication asset 616.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may verify 744 theownership of the non-qualified wireless communication asset 616. In oneexample, and as discussed above, WCA identification process 10 mayreceive a selection on GUI 600 that the user (e.g., of WCAidentification process 10) is the owner. In some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 may collect information about a user to verifyif the user is the property owner of record of the wirelesscommunication asset. For example and as discussed above, verifying theownership of the non-qualified wireless communication asset may includequerying 746 one or more databases (e.g., property record database) toidentify the property owner.

In some embodiments, verifying the ownership of the non-qualifiedwireless communication asset may include determining 748 whether theuser is the owner or a property manager or other agent of the propertyowner. For example, while an agent of the property owner may not be theactual owner of a wireless communication asset, the agent of theproperty owner may have authority to act on the owner's behalf regardingwireless communication asset. For example WCA identification process 10may provide a prompt via GUI 600 requesting whether or not the user isthe owner of wireless communication asset 616. Additionally and/oralternatively, WCA identification process 10 may determine whether therole of the user is the owner or a property manager in response todetermining the identity of the property owner.

In one example where WCA identification process 10 determines that theuser is not the owner but is an agent of the owner, WCA identificationprocess 10 may mail 750 a mail authentication (e.g., proof of addressform) to the location of the wireless communication asset and/or themailing address of the property owner. In some embodiments, the mailauthentication may include a security code generated by WCAidentification process 10. In some embodiments, WCA identificationprocess may generate a random security code associated with each mailauthentication generated and may store the security code in one or moredatabases. WCA identification process may provide a field for receivingthe security code by comparing an input received in the security codefield with the security code generated by WCA identification process 10.WCA identification process 10 may determine 752 whether the securitycode can be verified. If the security code is verified, WCAidentification process 10 may qualify 754 the wireless communicationassert and/or add the wireless communication asset to the one or moredatabases accessible by WCA identification process 10. If the securitycode is not verified, WCA identification process 10 may not qualify 756wireless communication asset and/or may not be added to the one or moredatabases. As discussed above and in some embodiments, qualifying awireless communication asset may enable a wireless operator to identifythe wireless communication asset via WCA identification process 10.Additionally and/or alternatively, if WCA identification process 10determines that the user is the owner, WCA identification process 10 mayqualify 754 the wireless communication assert and/or add the wirelesscommunication asset to the one or more databases accessible by WCAidentification process 10.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may receive assetinformation related to each wireless communication asset in a secondwindow 624 of the GUI. For example, second window 624 of GUI 600 mayinclude one or more fields for receiving asset information related towireless communication asset 616. In some embodiments, the assetinformation received may include geographic information (e.g., street,city, state, county, country, zip code, etc.), a height of the wirelesscommunication asset, a property type description (e.g., single familyresidence, multi-family residence, commercial building, billboard,tower, etc.), a power availability description (e.g., is power availableat the wireless communication asset?), a selection to include indoorspaces in a listing of the wireless communication asset, ownerinformation, jurisdictional information and/or pricing information.

As discussed above, a property owner may verify their ownership byuploading or providing tax records, corporate documents, purchase andsale agreements, and/or any other legal documentation relevant toverifying property ownership. In some embodiments, WCA identificationprocess 10 may query one or more databases to identify asset informationassociated with the wireless communication asset. For example, WCAidentification process 10 may query the one or more databases for any ofthe above described information and populate the fields of second window624 of GUI 600. In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 maystandardize the address associated with wireless communication asset 616in the fields of second window 624 of GUI 600.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may provide optionsfor selecting which wireless operators may and may not identify wirelesscommunication device 616. For example, suppose a property owner ofwireless communication asset 616 may not want to rent, lease, or sellaccess to wireless communication device 616 to one or more wirelessoperators. Alternatively, suppose a property owner of wirelesscommunication asset 616 only wants to rent, lease, or sell access towireless communication asset 616 to a subset of possible wirelessoperators. WCA identification process 10 may provide one or more fieldsassociated with one or more wireless operators. For example, WCAidentification process 10 may query one or more databases to identifyone or more wireless operators active in the region adjacent to thewireless communication asset. WCA identification process 10 may providea list of one or more wireless operators (e.g., carriers) active in theregion adjacent the wireless communication asset. In some embodiments,the list of wireless operators may be provided in second window 624 ofGUI 600. WCA identification process 10 may receive one or moreselections of wireless operators who may identify the wirelesscommunication asset.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may receive, on theGUI, one or more wireless communication asset filtering options. In someembodiments, a user of WCA identification process 10 (e.g., an engineerof a wireless operator, for example) may wish to identify wirelesscommunication assets subject to certain requirements such as, but notlimited to, wireless communication asset height, pricing, location,power availability, etc. As will be discussed in greater detail belowand in some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may keep track orotherwise record the filtering options selected during one or moresearches. In some embodiments, this record of the filtering options maybe stored in one or more databases accessible to WCA identificationprocess 10.

In some implementations, WCA identification process 10 may receive 258,on the GUI, a selection of one of the one or more identified (e.g.,qualified) wireless communication assets. Returning to the example ofFIG. 3, a user may select (via a cursor, touchscreen, keyboard, voicecommand, etc.) wireless communication asset 416 by selecting thelocation 318 of wireless communication asset 416 on the interactive map308 of the first window 310 of GUI 300. In response to receiving theselection of location 318 of wireless communication asset 416, WCAidentification process 10 may render or otherwise provide, on the GUI,asset information associated with the selected wireless communicationasset in a second window 324 of the GUI. In some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 may allow an engineer or other user associatedwith a wireless operator, to identify and select one of the one or moreidentified wireless communication assets. While an engineer or otherused associated with a wireless operator has been described, other usersof WCA identification process 10 may identify and select one or the oneor more identified wireless communication assets. However, in someembodiments, identifying qualified wireless communication assets via WCAidentification process 10 may be limited to users associated with awireless operator. As will be discussed in greater detail below, WCAidentification process 10 may keep track of or otherwise monitor theselection of each of the one or more identified wireless communicationassets.

Referring also to FIGS. 8, 9A, and 9B and in some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 may render 260 or otherwise provide the assetinformation associated with the selected wireless communication asset ina second window 324 of the GUI. For example, and as shown in at leastFIG. 8, asset information that may be rendered in the second window 324of GUI 300 may include “Location Details” 862, “Property Information”864, “Distance to Fiber optic” 866, and/or “Pricing Information” 868.“Location details” 862 may include, but is not limited to, the latitude,the longitude, the region (e.g., geographic region as discussed above),and/or the location (e.g., street address or other description of thelocation of the wireless communication asset). “Property Information”864 may include, but is not limited to, the height of the wirelesscommunication asset, information about the available power at thewireless communication asset, etc. Referring also to FIG. 9A and as willbe described in greater detail below, “Distance to Fiber optic” mayinclude, but is not limited to the distance from the wirelesscommunication asset to the nearest fiber optic backhaul interconnection.Referring also to FIG. 9B and as will be discussed in greater detailbelow, “Pricing Information” may include, but is not limited to, rentalor sale pricing information associated with different wirelesscommunication devices that may be deployed on the wireless communicationasset. In some embodiments, asset information may include jurisdictionalinformation related to permits, licenses, zoning restrictions, or otherlocal requirements that may relate to the deployment of wirelesscommunication devices at the wireless communication asset. In someembodiments, the jurisdictional information may be provided by a userand/or may be queried and populated from one or more databases.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may render 270 aninteractive ground-level display 872 of the real-world or physicallocation of the selected wireless communication asset in a portion ofthe second window. In some embodiments, it may be unclear where thewireless communication asset is relative to other buildings, roads,trees, etc. from the asset information. In some embodiments, theinteractive ground-level display 866 of the real-world or physicallocation of the selected wireless communication asset may be navigableby a user (via a cursor, touchscreen, keyboard, etc.) to view thewireless communication asset from the ground-level. In some embodiments,a user may click and drag to interact with interactive ground-leveldisplay. For example, WCA identification process 10 may receive a “clickand drag” input at the interactive ground-level display and mayreposition the display based on the click and drag action.

Referring also to the example of FIG. 10 and in some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 may include rendering a propagation heat map1068 on the interactive map 1008 of the first window 1010 of GUI 1000.In some embodiments, the propagation heat map may simulate wirelesscommunication service coverage for wireless communication devicesdeployed in a location. In some embodiments, WCA identification process10 may generate or render a heat map for a specific wireless devicedeployed on an selected wireless communication asset. In the examplepropagation heat map 1068 of FIG. 10, different levels 1074, 1076, 1078of wireless communication coverage may be represented by one or morecolors. In addition to and/or as an alternative to colors, WCAidentification process 10 may represent the levels of wirelesscommunication coverage with other patterns or symbols. For example, afirst color 1074 adjacent to the wireless communication asset and/orsimulated wireless communication device deployed on the wirelesscommunication asset, may represent a highest wireless communicationcoverage level. Additional “rings” of different colors 1076, 1078further from the wireless communication asset may represent lowerwireless communication coverage levels. From these propagation heatmaps, WCA identification process 10 may simulate the deployment ofwireless communication device on a selected wireless communicationasset.

In some implementations, the asset information associated with theselected wireless communication asset may include wireless communicationasset pricing. As discussed above, WCA identification process 10 mayprovide on the second window of the GUI, pricing information associatedwith the selected wireless communication asset. Referring again to FIG.9B, asset information provided by WCA identification process 10 for aselected wireless communication asset may include “Pricing Information”868. In some embodiments, the pricing information may include prices forsale or leasing of the wireless communication asset for various wirelesscommunication devices. As will be discussed in greater detail below, WCAidentification process 10 may provide potential wireless communicationasset pricing.

In some implementations, the wireless communication asset pricing may bebased upon, at least in part, wireless communication asset pricingassociated with one or more other wireless communication assets within apre-defined distance from the selected wireless communication asset.Referring again to the example of FIG. 6 and in some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 may qualify a non-qualified wirelesscommunication asset based upon input from a property owner and/orinformation queried from one or more databases (e.g., via analytics byWCA identification process 10). As shown in FIG. 6, WCA identificationprocess 10 may provide descriptions of one or more wirelesscommunication devices that may be deployed on the wireless communicationasset and fields 680 for pricing for each wireless communication devicedeployment. In one example, WCA identification process 10 may receivepricing information from a user on the GUI. Additionally and/oralternatively, WCA identification process 10 may identify one or morewireless communication assets within a pre-defined distance of theselected wireless communication device and generate potential wirelesscommunication asset pricing based upon, at least in part, the pricing ofthe identified one or more wireless communication assets within thepre-defined distance. In some embodiments, the pre-defined distance maybe a default distance and/or may be defined by WCA identificationprocess 10 and/or a user of WCA identification process 10.

However, and as will be discussed in greater detail below, a propertyowner may be unsure about what pricing is appropriate for their wirelesscommunication asset. In this way, WCA identification process 10 mayprovide potential wireless communication asset pricing based upon, atleast in part, including how many carriers or wireless operators arelooking in that area using WCA identification process 10, how manytransactions have occurred in that area, what is the accepted wirelesscommunication asset pricing that has occurred in that area, the wirelessoperator's need a wireless communication device at that location (e.g.,based on propagation heat maps of existing wireless communicationcoverage), amount of existing mobile usage (including social, actualdata) near asset, wireless communication asset required height and/orsize, along with other data points. In some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 may populate the pricing information fields680 with the potential wireless communication asset pricing.Additionally and/or alternatively, WCA identification process 10 maypopulate the pricing information fields 680 with default wirelesscommunication asset pricing.

Referring also to the example of FIG. 11 and in some implementations,WCA identification process 10 may render 282, on the GUI 1100, awireless communication asset demand layer 1184 on at least a portion ofthe interactive map 1108 in the first window 1110. In some embodiments,the wireless communication asset demand layer may include a grid of apre-defined size (e.g., 100 meters). The pre-defined size of the gridmay be a default size and/or set by WCA identification process 10. Thewireless communication asset demand layer 1184 may be centered on thewireless communication asset. In some implementations, the wirelesscommunication asset demand layer 1184 may display one or more levels ofdemand for wireless communication assets in a geographic region. In someimplementations, the one or more levels of demand may be represented byone or more colors on the interactive map. For example, different colorsmay represent different levels of demand and potential pricingassociated with the demand. For example, a level with a first color(e.g., red) may represent high demand. In some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 may associate the high demand with a highpotential wireless communication asset price (e.g., $500 per month orhigher). In another example, a level with a second color (e.g., yellow)may represent mid-level demand. In some embodiments, WCA identificationprocess 10 may associate the mid-level or medium demand with a mid-levelor medium potential wireless communication asset price (e.g., $400 permonth). In another example, a level with a third color (e.g., green) mayrepresent low demand. In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10may associate the low demand with a low potential wireless communicationasset price (e.g., $300 per month or lower). While three colorscorresponding to three layers have been described for example purposes,other layers, colors, and potential prices are within the scope of thepresent disclosure. In addition to and/or as an alternative to colors,WCA identification process 10 may represent the one or more demandlevels with other patterns, textures, or symbols.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may represent thelevel of demand as the number of operators searching in the area. In oneexample, if two operators desire the same area, WCA identificationprocess 10 may associate the number of operators (e.g., demand level)with a dark shade of green (e.g., hot green) on the wirelesscommunication asset demand layer 1184. In another example, if onewireless operator searches in the area, WCA identification process 10may associate the number of operators with a light shade of green (e.g.,pale green) on the wireless communication asset demand layer 1184. Whilespecific colors, shades, and numbers of operators have been used todescribe the demand and representation of the demand rendered on thewireless communication asset demand layer, these are examples forillustration, not of limitation.

In some embodiments, the one or more levels of demand of the wirelesscommunication asset demand layer 1184 may be based upon, at least inpart, one or more of the location of one or more wireless communicationassets identified in one or more searches, the selections of the one ormore identified wireless communication assets from the one or moresearches, and the wireless communication asset pricing associated withone or more other wireless communication assets within the pre-defineddistance from each of the one or more identified wireless communicationassets. In this way and as will be discussed in greater detail below,WCA identification process 10 may render the wireless communicationasset demand layer 1184 based upon, at least in part, analyticsperformed on data stored by WCA identification process during use byeach user of WCA identification process 10.

In one example, the one or more levels of demand of the wirelesscommunication asset demand layer 1184 may be based upon, at least inpart, the location of one or more wireless communication assetsidentified in one or more searches. As discussed above, WCAidentification process 10 may track or otherwise monitor the location ofthe one or more wireless communication assets identified in one or moresearches. In some embodiments, a wireless operator may identify one ormore wireless communication assets via WCA identification process 10.The location(s) of identified wireless communication asset(s) mayindicate or at least suggest areas where a wireless operator is lookingto expand or increase wireless communication service coverage. As such,WCA identification process 10 may store the locations of identifiedwireless communication assets in one or more databases accessible to WCAidentification process 10. Additionally and/or alternatively, WCAidentification process 10 may store the locations searched by wirelessoperators regardless of whether any wireless communication assets areidentified. For example, WCA identification process 10 may definemultiple user-defined search areas for a previously undeveloped area.WCA identification process 10 may store these searches and generate alevel of demand proportionate to the number of searches. In someembodiments, WCA identification process 10 may use various thresholds ofnumber of searches to indicate whether there is an increase in the levelof demand in a certain geographic area or region. Additionally and/oralternatively, WCA identification process 10 may store the date and/ortime of searches to determine whether the demand is increasing ordecreasing over time.

In another example, the one or more levels of demand of the wirelesscommunication asset demand layer 1184 may be based upon, at least inpart, the selections of the one or more identified wirelesscommunication assets from the one or more searches. As discussed above,receiving selections of one or more identified wireless communicationassets may be indicative and/or may suggest where a wireless operator islooking to expand or increase wireless communication service coverage.WCA identification process 10 may track or otherwise monitor theselections of the one or more wireless communication assets identifiedin one or more searches. In some embodiments, a wireless operator mayselect at least one of the one or more wireless communication assets viaWCA identification process 10. As such, WCA identification process 10may store the selections of identified wireless communication assets inone or more databases accessible to WCA identification process 10. WCAidentification process 10 may store these selections and generate alevel of demand proportionate to the number of searches. In someembodiments, WCA identification process 10 may use various thresholds ofnumber of selections to indicate whether there is an increase in thelevel of demand in a certain geographic area or region. Additionallyand/or alternatively, WCA identification process 10 may store the dateand/or time of selections to determine whether the demand is increasingor decreasing over time.

In some embodiments and as discussed above, WCA identification mayreceive one or more wireless communication asset filtering options. Fromthese filtering options, WCA identification process may determine whatcharacteristics are in high demand and which characteristics are in lowdemand. For example, suppose WCA identification process 10 receivesmultiple searches with filtering options to only identify wirelesscommunication assets with a height greater than 30 feet. In thisexample, WCA identification process 10 may determine a higher level ofdemand for wireless communication assets with a height greater than 30feet. While a filtering option of height has been discussed, otherfiltering options are within the scope of the present disclosure.

In another example, the one or more levels of demand may be based upon,at least in part, the wireless communication asset pricing associatedwith one or more other wireless communication assets within thepre-defined distance from each of the one or more identified wirelesscommunication assets. As discussed above, WCA identification process 10may identify the wireless communication asset pricing associated withone or more other wireless communication assets within the pre-defineddistance. In some embodiments, the wireless communication asset pricingmay indicate the level of demand associated with each wirelesscommunication asset. For example, if one or more adjacent wirelesscommunication assets have high pricing, then the level of demand forwireless communication assets may be high. Additionally and/oralternatively, if one or more adjacent wireless communication assetshave lower pricing, then the level of demand for wireless communicationassets may be low.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may determine a levelof demand of the wireless communication asset demand layer 1184 basedupon, at least in part, resources adjacent to the wireless communicationasset. For example, with the increase in wireless communication servicerequired and/or desired for use in automobiles, wireless operators maybe interested in deploying wireless communication devices near majorroads, freeways, highways, etc. (e.g., resources). In some embodiments,WCA identification process 10 may identify resources adjacent to eachwireless communication asset for determining a level of demand. Forexample, WCA identification process 10 may identify a major highway(e.g., Interstate 95) adjacent a wireless communication asset. With highmobile device usage expected (or otherwise actually identified by WCAidentification process 10) along Interstate 95, WCA identificationprocess 10 may determine a higher level of demand near the wirelesscommunication asset. Other resources such a schools, malls, sportsarenas, beaches, etc. may also be identified by WCA identificationprocess 10. Additionally and/or alternatively, WCA identificationprocess 10 may identify resources with high, medium, and/or low demandby querying one or more databases and/or identifying areas of high,medium, and/or low wireless communication usage from internet sourcessuch as, but not limited to, social networking sources.

As discussed above and in some embodiments, WCA identification process10 may identify adjacent wireless communication assets and/or wirelesscommunication devices to determine a wireless operator's need for awireless communication device at the wireless communication asset. Asdiscussed above, WCA identification process 10 may identify areas wherethere are few or even zero wireless communication devices. Additionally,WCA identification process 10 may identify areas where there are few oreven zero wireless communication assets. In some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 may determine a level of demand of thewireless communication asset demand layer 1184 based upon the number ofadjacent wireless communication devices and/or wireless communicationassets. For example, WCA identification process 10 may determine a highlevel of demand for a wireless communication asset in a region with fewor zero wireless communication devices but resources with high wirelesscommunication demand. Additionally and/or alternatively, WCAidentification process 10 may determine a low level of demand for awireless communication asset in a region with many wirelesscommunication devices and resources with low wireless communicationdemand.

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may use the wirelesscommunication asset demand layer to generate potential wirelesscommunication asset pricing. Referring again to FIG. 6, WCAidentification process 10 may receive pricing information for thewireless communication asset. In some embodiments, WCA identificationprocess 10 may provide options to “lock” the pricing information basedon when WCA identification process 10 qualifies the wirelesscommunication asset. In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10may provide the option to “float” their lease price. That is, WCAidentification process 10 may adjust the pricing information (e.g.,based upon the wireless communication asset demand layer) over time. Insome embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may provide the optionto bracket pricing information by providing pricing “floors” and/or“ceilings.”

In some embodiments, WCA identification process 10 may include sending286 a fiber optic distance request signal to a fiber optic providerserver. In some implementations, the fiber optic distance request signalmay include the real-world or physical location of the selected wirelesscommunication asset. As is known in the art, wireless communicationdevices may require a connection to a fiber optic service provider inorder to provide wireless communication services. For example, eachwireless communication device may be interconnected with a fiber opticservice provider via a connection to a fiber optic backhaul. In someembodiments, WCA identification process 10 may receive a selection ofone of the one or more identified wireless communication assets. WCAidentification process 10 may send the fiber optic distance requestsignal to a partner fiber optic service provider. In some embodiments,fiber optic service providers may not want to disclose their actualplant locations. In some embodiments, a fiber optic service provider hassoftware that compares the coordinates with their fiber optic maps andreturns a distance from the coordinates provided in the fiber opticdistance request signal to nearest fiber optic backhaul interconnectionpoint. WCA identification process 10 may receive 288 from the fiberoptic provider server, a fiber optic backhaul distance in response tothe sent fiber optic distance request and may display 290 the fiberoptic backhaul distance in the second window of the GUI.

Referring also to the example of FIG. 12 and in some embodiments, WCAidentification process 10 may define one or more projects including oneor more identified wireless communication assets. In some embodiments,WCA identification process 10 may receive a selection to add one or morewireless communication assets to a project. For example, WCAidentification process 10 may receive selections of one or more wirelesscommunication assets that a wireless operator is interested inpurchasing and/or leasing for the deployment of a wireless communicationdevice. Upon adding the one or more wireless communication assets to aproject, WCA identification process 10 may contact the property ownersassociated with each wireless communication asset within the project tocoordinate the deployment of one or more wireless communication deviceson the identified wireless communication assets based upon, at least inpart, the information provided in the GUI.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present disclosuremay be embodied as a method, system, or computer program product.Accordingly, the present disclosure may take the form of an entirelyhardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodimentcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore,the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program producton a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program codeembodied in the medium.

Any suitable computer usable or computer readable medium may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer-usable, orcomputer-readable, storage medium (including a storage device associatedwith a computing device or client electronic device) may be, forexample, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, ordevice, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specificexamples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium wouldinclude the following: an electrical connection having one or morewires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory(RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compactdisc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device. In thecontext of this document, a computer-usable, or computer-readable,storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store aprogram for use by or in connection with the instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program coded embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Program codeembodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using anyappropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline,optical fiber optic cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of theforegoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentdisclosure may be written in an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like. However, the computer programcode for carrying out operations of the present disclosure may also bewritten in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the“C” programming language or similar programming languages. The programcode may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user'scomputer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

The present disclosure is described below with reference to flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) andcomputer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. Itwill be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/orblock diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computerprogram instructions. These computer program instructions may beprovided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purposecomputer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce amachine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor ofthe computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, createmeans for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchartand/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for identifyingwireless communication assets comprising: providing, on a graphical userinterface (GUI), an interactive map in a first window of the GUI;defining, on the GUI, a user-defined search area on the interactive mapin the first window of the GUI, wherein the user-defined search areainclude at least a portion of a geographic region; and identifying, onthe GUI, one or more wireless communication assets and a location ofeach of the one or more wireless communication assets within theuser-defined search area on the interactive map in the first window,wherein each of the one or more wireless communication assets is capableof supporting at least one wireless communication device and thelocations of each of the one or more wireless communication assets onthe interactive map relate to a physical location of each of the one ormore wireless communication assets.
 2. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, further comprising: receiving, on the GUI, a selection ofone of the one or more identified wireless communication assets.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising: rendering,on the GUI, asset information associated with the selected wirelesscommunication asset in a second window of the GUI; and rendering aninteractive ground-level display of the location of the selectedwireless communication asset in a portion of the second window.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the asset informationassociated with the selected wireless communication asset includeswireless communication asset pricing.
 5. The computer-implemented methodof claim 4, wherein the wireless communication asset pricing is basedupon, at least in part, wireless communication asset pricing associatedwith one or more other wireless communication assets within apre-defined distance from the selected wireless communication asset. 6.The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:rendering, on the GUI, a wireless communication asset demand layer on atleast a portion of the interactive map in the first window, wherein thewireless communication asset demand layer displays one or more levels ofdemand for wireless communication assets in a geographic region basedupon, at least in part, one or more of the location of one or morewireless communication assets identified in one or more searches,selections of the one or more identified wireless communication assetsfrom the one or more searches, and the wireless communication assetpricing associated with one or more other wireless communication assetswithin the pre-defined distance from each of the one or more identifiedwireless communication assets, wherein the one or more levels of demandare represented by one or more colors on the interactive map.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising: sending afiber optic distance request signal to a fiber optic provider server,wherein the fiber optic distance request signal includes the location ofthe selected wireless communication asset; receiving, from the fiberoptic provider server, a fiber optic backhaul distance in response tothe sent fiber optic distance request; and displaying the fiber opticbackhaul distance in the second window of the GUI.
 8. A systemcomprising a computing device having at least one processor configuredto: provide, on a graphical user interface (GUI), an interactive map ina first window of the GUI; define, on the GUI, a user-defined searcharea on the interactive map in the first window of the GUI, wherein theuser-defined search area includes at least a portion of a geographicregion; and identify, on the GUI, one or more wireless communicationassets and a location of each of the one or more wireless communicationassets within the user-defined search area on the interactive map in thefirst window, wherein each of the one or more wireless communicationassets is capable of supporting at least one wireless communicationdevice and the locations of each of the one or more wirelesscommunication assets on the interactive map relate to a physicallocation of each of the one or more wireless communication assets. 9.The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are furtherconfigured to: receive, on the GUI, a selection of one of the one ormore identified wireless communication assets.
 10. The system of claim9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: render,on the GUI, asset information associated with the selected wirelesscommunication asset in a second window of the GUI; and render, on theGUI, an interactive ground-level display of the location of the selectedwireless communication asset in a portion of the second window.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the asset information associated with theselected wireless communication asset includes wireless communicationasset pricing.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the wirelesscommunication asset pricing is based upon, at least in part, wirelesscommunication asset pricing associated with one or more other wirelesscommunication assets within a pre-defined distance from the selectedwireless communication asset.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein theone or more processors are further configured to: render, on the GUI, awireless communication asset demand layer on at least a portion of theinteractive map in the first window, wherein the wireless communicationasset demand layer displays one or more levels of demand for wirelesscommunication assets in a geographic region based upon, at least inpart, one or more of the location of one or more wireless communicationassets identified in one or more searches, the selections of the one ormore identified wireless communication assets from the one or moresearches, and the wireless communication asset pricing associated withone or more other wireless communication assets within the pre-defineddistance from each of the one or more identified wireless communicationassets, wherein the one or more levels of demand are represented by oneor more colors on the interactive map.
 14. The system of claim 9,wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: send afiber optic distance request signal to a fiber optic provider server,wherein the fiber optic distance request signal includes the location ofthe selected wireless communication asset; receive, from the fiber opticprovider server, a fiber optic backhaul distance in response to the sentfiber optic distance request; and display the fiber optic backhauldistance in the second window of the GUI.
 15. A computer-implementedmethod for identifying wireless communication assets comprising:receiving a wireless communication asset request signal, the wirelesscommunication asset request signal including a user-defined search areadefined on an interactive map of a graphical user interface (GUI),wherein each of the one or more wireless communication assets is capableof supporting at least one wireless communication device; identifying,from one or more databases, the locations of one or more wirelesscommunication assets within the user-defined search area provided in thewireless communication asset request signal, wherein the user-definedsearch area defined on the interactive map includes at least a portionof a geographic region and the locations of the one or more wirelesscommunication assets on the interactive map relate to a physicallocation of the one or more wireless communication assets; and providingthe location of each of the one or more wireless communication assetsidentified within the user-defined search area for display at the GUI.16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:receiving a selection of one of the one or more identified wirelesscommunication assets; and sending asset information associated with theselected wireless communication asset for display at the GUI.
 17. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the asset informationincludes wireless communication asset pricing.
 18. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising:identifying, from the one or more databases, wireless communicationasset pricing associated with one or more other wireless communicationassets within a pre-defined distance from the selected wirelesscommunication asset; determining the wireless communication assetpricing for the selected wireless communication asset based upon, atleast in part, one or more of the wireless communication asset pricingassociated with the one or more other wireless communication assets; andsending the wireless communication asset pricing for display at the GUI.19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:generating a wireless communication demand layer for displaying one ormore levels of demand for wireless communication assets in a geographicregion based upon, at least in part, one or more of the location of oneor more wireless communication assets identified in one or moresearches, the selections of the one or more identified wirelesscommunication assets from the one or more searches, and the wirelesscommunication asset pricing associated with one or more other wirelesscommunication assets within the pre-defined distance from each of theone or more identified wireless communication assets, wherein the one ormore levels are represented by one or more colors.
 20. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising: receiving,at a fiber optic provider server, a fiber optic distance request signal,wherein the fiber optic distance request signal includes the location ofthe selected wireless communication asset; sending, from the fiber opticprovider server, a fiber optic backhaul distance in response to thereceived fiber optic distance request.